ESOL and Training for Security Industry Authority Licence Essay

ESOL and Training for Security Industry Authority Licence - Essay Example This essay explores the topic of teaching and training that becomes more and more challenging for the educators or trainers of many migrants. The researcher analyzes the effects of the diversity among the community, that strengthens its economic and social status. On the other hand, it entails social responsibilities that involve the need to educate then effectively especially its immigrants. Continuous expansion of the European Union has brought about the increase in migrant workers struggling to fit into the new community that demands the need to learn the English language to meet the needs and the demands of the society. In addition, the researcher mentiones that learning the English language moreover helps migrants understand more the ideas that they need to know in accordance to the society’s requirement as member of the new group of civilization. Their limited English proficiency therefore implies a need for further development or innovations of the teaching and training strategies. Their difficulty in the English language limits their capability in understanding the ideas and ideals that the community would want to emphasize. The researcher then states that the increasing number of English as Second Other Language learners choosing the Security Level 2 training in the Security Industry Authority that involves Licensing affects the teaching modes such that a more interactive and transactional oral communication should be developed in order to meet the needs of the learners.

The Use Of Information Technology In Finance Essay Example for Free

The Use Of Information Technology In Finance Essay The world is continuously under the process of change, ever since its inception. This change has resulted into a number of advancements. Science and Technology has been at forefront in bringing these changes with the aim to ease the life of the people. Â  Despite, this being a regular process, the acceleration of the change brought by information technology in the last century is second to none. In the recent history, no other field of science has affected so many diverse walks of life, as the information technology did. Now, information technology is considered as the lifeblood for any organization, offering any sort of product or service. Information Technology requirement is now considered the part of infrastructure for any sort of business activity. Today, when we recall the spread of computer and information technology few decades down the memory lane, we find the quote of the IBM’s president in 1940’s who said, I think there is a world market for about five computers. Â  However, if we see the penetration of information technology in any walk of life, we find our lives miserable without it, no matter to what field of study do we belong. I have a finance major and the field of finance and its associated fields are no exception and these fields have potential to make the most of information technology resources available worldwide at this point of time. Â  Thus, this article is intended to explore the possible applications of information technology in the field of finance. To carry out this assignment, four modes of information were explored. These were web search, blogs, job search and articles. The web search was done through Google and Alta Vista. Few of the keywords used are as follows: IT and Finance Use of IT in Finance Application of IT in the field of finance Studying Finance using IT Financial Softwares Features of Financial Softwares How IT supports financial decisions Financial ERPs etc In caser of Blogs, a number of blogs were explored. Two of them are: http://www.corporatefinanceblog.com/ http://www.bilgilizce.com/lectures-on-corporate-finance/ Following Job Sites were explored. http://jobs.jobbankusa.com/js/action/searchresults.asp http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ The job requirements for the accounts manager, director finance, financial consultants, and business analysts were explored. The sites that were explored are CIO.com, BusinessWeek.com, ComputerWorld.com etc. The key words used were ‘financial solutions’, ‘finance and technology’ etc. When we look at finance, five discreet fields come to our mind. These are corporate finance, trade finance, personal finance, public finance. Looking from broader perspective, the student of Finance also studies its associated fields like banking, investment, derivatives, risk management, stock trading, financial statement analysis etc. Each of these subfields also has application of information technology. Â  However, before going into details, first of all, let’s look at the application of information technology in the field of finance, generally. In the field of finance, one of the most sophisticated and crucial, yet important task is to develop financial models to analyze the feasibility of various alternatives from the financial perspective. Previously, these models were used to be developed manually. However, now with the help f sophisticated applications and enterprise resource planning (ERP) softwares like Oracle Financials and the financial modules of SAP provide the capability to develop one’s own financial model within no time. No doubt, still the logic needs to be created by the professional of finance, but now he does not need to worry about minor calculation mistakes, leading to highly misleading results, all he has to worry about is the logic behind the model, the accuracy and speed that the information technology provides in the development financial model increases the efficiency of that financial professional. This was just one application; there is a whole arena of services that information technology has to offer to the students and professionals of the field of finance. Even the spreadsheets like Excel can provide the capability of financial functions like scenario planning, what-if analysis and so on. At the professional level, the use of databases, data warehouse and business intelligence helps in trend analysis through application of very advanced algorithms in very large amount of data which is next to impossible manually and totally impossible to be done manually, if required to be done in the same amount of time that is required by a computer for the same task. However, again, computer is the machine the reliability of the results depends on the logic provided by the operator. But now, advanced computer applications such as artificial intelligence, neural networks etc. have also a limited capability of learning from past and deducing logic. If these systems become reliable and full tested in future, these applications can revolutionize the world of finance as well. Now let’s have a brief look at the application of information technology in various branches of finance. In corporate finance, two most important goals are to increase the corporate value and reduce the financial risk. Risk analysis and management requires the trend analysis of past data. As already mentioned, through the use of data warehouse and business intelligence tools, this task can be done very efficiently. A data warehouse contains the archived data where as business intelligence tools help to extract meaningful information out of it. Likewise, data mining tools can be used to identify the trends in the past data. In public finance, the scope is large, resources are very limited and alternatives are very diverse. Thus, it requires using techniques like what-if analysis, goal seeking etc. A range of tools are available to carryout these tasks, ranging from Microsoft excel to custom developed ERPs. In personal finance too, the use of automated tools save time. Likewise, the trade financing needs careful forecasting, a number of tools are available for that too, again ranging from excel to neural networks. Thus, in today’s job market, the more sophisticated the financial task is, the more technical skills are required by the company. To sum up, the field of finance can leverage upon the opportunities of ease, accuracy and speed provided by information technology in order to increase the efficiency, effectiveness and reliability of financial decision, as these decisions have significant impact on the financial health of the organization in professional life. Â  In this connection, I belief that the student of finance must be well aware and well acquainted with the opportunities that information technology provides to the field of finance. Bibliography Chorafas, D. (2007). Risk Management Technology in Financial Services (Elsevier Finance). St. Louis: Butterworth-Heinemann. Financial-i Awards Kyriba the 2007 Prize for Most Innovative Cash Forecasting Solution. (2008, Feb. 26). Business Wire, 23. Lee, J., Trippi, R. (2000). Artificial Intelligence in Finance Investing: State-Of-The-Art Technologies for Securities Selection and Portfolio Management. Milwaukee: Irwin Professional Publishing. (2008). Handbook on Information Technology in Finance (International Handbooks on Information Systems). New York: Springer.

summer :: essays research papers

Gabriela Summer   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When I first started reading Summer I was looking for a typical love story, and I was glad that it didn't sort of turn out that way. In the beginning I was just waiting for something to happen, it was a little boring. However, as I read on the book grew more and more interesting. If I could ask the author a few questions I would ask him why did he want that ending? All of a sudden the happy couple is the two people who hated each other throughout the whole story, and he never mentioned what happened to Charity and Lucius' baby. Also, Why was the book called Summer? Other than the season this book took place in, did it have anything to do with the characters, or the plot?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main character is Charity Royall, she was 'brought down from the mountain' by Mr. Royall, and he has been her guardian and rival ever since. In the story Charity meets a young man, Lucius Harney, who she falls madly in love with. He ends up leaving promising her he will come back and marry her, right before she finds out he is the father to the baby in her womb. However Charity finds out that Lucius is engaged and is about to marry another women so without telling him the truth she tells him to marry her, and she escapes to the mountain where she always thought she belonged. Mr.Royall came for her the next morning after her mother's death, and took her to the city so they could be wed, despite how much she thought she hated him she saw all the good he brought her. Charity learned that true love, could be where she never thought to ever look. She learned that the mountain was no place for her, and she knows why he mother didn't want her to live up there. I lear ned that in order to find true love you need to know someone who will always secure you and be around, not someone who will have another women on the side, and promise to end it for you. Also never get pregnant with a man you're not married to first, to save all the awkwardness from your new husband.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The theme of this story is true love, and summer romance. In my life there is no true love, being that I'm only fourteen, but I know about summer romances.

The battle between religios

Christianity vs. Judaism Did you know that Christianity evolved from Judaism? In fact in the Old Testament, which is part of the Bible, were the words of the Jews (Southwick). You may have never heard of Judaism because it is such a little religion that not many people practice. Although Judaism is such a small religion it means a lot, without it there would not be Christianity! Therefore, there are many similarities between Christianity and Judaism; however, there are also many differences. Christianity is the largest religion in the entire world, 32. of are world's population is Christian (Southwick). There are also thousands of different types of Christianity. As of right now there are about 33,820 â€Å"sub† religions, Catholic being the biggest with about 1,050,000,000 members (Wikipedia). Think about that, over 1/7 of the world is made up of Catholics. Christianity is one of many monotheistic religions meaning they believe in one god and that goes by the name of Jesus. J esus is actually of three people; God the father, God the son and God the Holy Spirit. They call this trinity which is a group of three people or things.Most Christians go to church very Sunday for about an hour and listen to the stories of God read out of the Bible. On the night before Christmas and the day of Christmas people usually go to church to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Christianity is not a very extensive religion compared to most, there are very few requirements. The only thing you really need to do is believe in God/Jesus and you also must be baptized. This is probably why it is such a large religion. Unlike Christianity, Judaism is not a very large religion. Only 0. 2% of the world's population s made up of this religion.Compared to 32. 5% (Christian population) 0. 2% is not very much. This religion started in a place called Canaan and now a days Judaism is mainly practiced in Israel. Dissimilar to Christianity, 52% of Jews do not believe in gods. Appose to what most Christians think, most Jews do not thing God was the messiah. The sacred text of the Jews goes by the name of the Torah, which are the first five books of the Old Testament. The Torah was given to the people by God. Judaism is also a monotheistic religion. Jews did not eat shellfish or meat. https://donemyessay.com/why-was-the-battle-of-gettysburg-so-important/All of their meat had to be kosher. A big part of the Jews faith is to respect your elders! If you disrespected your parents they would have the right to beat you. One of the mail holidays in the religion is Hanukkah and is celebrated during the month of December. There are far more requirements to the religion which is probably why there are very few people that are a part of the religion. Because Christianity came from Judaism there will be many similarities but since Christianity started a lot have things have changed making it different from Judaism.One thing they have in common is that they both follow the Ten Commandments. They also both attend church and read out of the holy book. The Bible includes the first five books of the Old Testament which makes up the Torah. A major difference is the majority Jews do not believe Jesus Christ was the messiah. On the contrary; Christians believe that Jesus is the messi ah. Jews pray to Jehovah. Also Jews has different main day of worship then Christians. The Jews main day of worship is on Saturday oppose to Christians which is on Sunday. the battle between religios By noahwatsonl

Laws of England and Wales Essay

â€Å"The defendant who seeks to avoid criminal liability on the basis that s/he was suffering from a mental disorder at the time of the alleged crime must have a defence that falls within one of the following, legally recognised, categories: Insanity, Diminished Responsibility or Automatism. While, at one level or another, these â€Å"mental disorder defences† share common characteristics, they each differ significantly. Unfortunately, this point does not appear to be fully appreciated in English Law.† Discuss the validity of this statement. Inherent in our legal system is an idea of culpability. The word itself embodies notions of moral responsibility and blame. There are two elements that will allow us to determine whether or not someone is to be considered culpable. The first is that the person on whom we wish to apportion blame is an actual agent of harm as opposed to a mere causer. That is to say that they are instrumental in an action and are not simply a victim of a spasm or similar associated condition. The second is that he/she has the capacity to understand the laws and moral order that exist within society. Hart’s principles of justice assert that ‘a moral license to punish is needed by society and unless a man has the capacity and fair opportunity or chance to adjust his behaviour to the law, its penalties ought not be applied to him.† Such deep-rooted notions of culpability have necessitated development in the area of defences to ensure that those who fall outside of the legally recognised parameters of accountability are afforded ‘protection’. Amongst such defences are Insanity, Automatism and Diminished responsibility. This essay will identify the similarities and differences of these defences by exploring their theoretical foundations and determine whether, in practice, they are sufficiently understood by the courts to achieve their desired end. The theoretical basis for an insanity defence is embedded in the notions of fair opportunity as discussed above. It is felt that the insane man is ‘too far removed from normality to make us angry with him’. The impetus of the law and its functions might well be considered outside of his comprehension and similarly, so too might the moral implications of his act. Therefore, it would not be either ‘efficacious or equitable’ to hold such a man criminally  responsible . As Duff remarks of the potential insane defendant â€Å"if she cannot understand what is being done to her, or why it is being done, or how it is related as a punishment to her past offence, her punishment becomes a travesty?†. Therefore, if a defence of insanity is successful the defendant will be given a ‘special verdict’ namely ‘not guilty by reason of insanity’. Although this special verdict may bring indefinite detention (a fact which is reconciled in theor y by ‘compelling considerations of public interest’ ) it still serves to reflect a lack of culpability and therefore, blame. The basis on which the non-insane automatism defence is founded is somewhat more fundamental than that of insanity. It was developed to exculpate those who had been the victim of events rather than those who had fallen foul to circumstance . A plea of automatism is ‘not merely a denial of fault, or of responsibility. It is more a denial of authorship’ in the sense that the automaton is in no way instrumental in any criminal act. Lord Dilhorne remarked in Alphacell that â€Å"an inadvertent and unintended act without negligence? might be said, not caused’. Others have described such acts as ‘acts of god’. It is with this class of act that the defence of automatism is concerned – acts which might be said seen as ‘inconsistent with the requirement of an actus reus’ . This lack-of-instrumentality concept is reflected by the fact that on a finding of automatism a defendant will be granted an unqualified acquittal by the courts. Detenti on is unnecessary for as well being blameless, the automaton presents no future threat to society. Whilst Insanity and Automatism serve as general defences in law, Diminished responsibility operates only as a defence to murder. It offers those ‘bordering on insanity’ the opportunity to argue that at the time of the killing they were ‘suffering from such abnormality of mind’ so as to ‘substantially impair their mental responsibility’. If such an argument is successful (all other things being equal) the potential murderer will be convicted of manslaughter and hence will escape the mandatory life sentence that a finding of murder brings. The defence’s existence is justified (much like insanity) by notions of responsibility and blame. The doctrine, it was felt, ‘was needed to reflect the view that where there was less responsibility there ought to be less punishment.† Despite some clear differences in the three defences’ theoretical foundations and intentions, it could be said that technically they have become somewhat confused in law. Discussion will now turn to the two automatism defences before then going on to examine diminished responsibility in context. Whilst both automatism defences are grounded in the idea that ‘where there is no responsibility there should be no blame,’ policy reasons have necessitated their independent development. Because of this, the person who seeks to raise automatism as a defence is subject to a very tight definitional distinction. This tight definitional distinction between automatism and insanity is highlighted by Glanville Williams when he describes non-insane automatism as ‘any abnormal state of consciousness†¦.while not amounting to insanity.’ Such statements offer little definitional worth, as to understand automatism we must first understand insanity and this, as will become clear, is no easy task. The contemporary framework of the insanity defence can be found in M’Naghten’s Case where Lord Tindal authoritatively ruled that?: â€Å"?to establish a defence on the ground of insanity, it must be clearly proved that, at the time of the committing of the act, the party accused was labouring under such a defect of reason, from disease of the mind, as not to know the nature and quality of the act he was doing; or, if he did know it, that he did not know he was doing what was wrong.† Subsequent development of a non-insane automatism defence, for reasons discussed above, necessitated judicious refinement of these insanity parameters to insure that those who sought to invoke the former were deserving . Therefore, considerable onus was placed upon the meaning of the rules, especially the phrase ‘disease of the mind’. First, it was decided that ‘mind’ referred to the mental faculties of reason, memory and understanding and not simply the organic mass that is the brain. Then, in Sullivan, (the defendant was charged with assault which, he  claimed, was the result of the post-ictal stage of an epileptic seizure) the definition expanded to catch transient and intermittent impairment of the mind. It was held that the permanence of a disease ‘cannot on any rational ground be relevant to the application by the courts of the M’Naghten rules’. This finding ran contrary to contemporary medical definitions and began to impinge upon the design of the non-insane automatism defence: that being to catch one-off, faultless incidents of automatism. Perhaps more significantly, Sullivan continued to develop Quick on what is now thought to be the defining boundary between the two defences, that of internal and external causes. This distinction was cemented in Burgess where Lord Lane explicitly referred to the difference between internal and external causes as the point on which the ‘case depends, as others have depended in the past’ The defendant in Burgess was a sleepwalker who assaulted a friend whilst in a somnambulistic state. It was held that somnambulism was a disease of the mind under the M’Naghten rules largely because it was considered a ‘pathological’ (and therefore, internal) condition by expert witnesses in cross-examination. While, to some, this internal/external distinction ‘makes good sense,’ to others its effect is wholly inappropriate, as it fudges the boundaries between the theoretical rationales of insane and non-insane automatism. Irene Mackay, for example (as well as pointing to contradictory obiter ) attacks the distinction with reference to its effect. She contends that sleep ‘can hardly be called an illness, disorder or abnormal condition. It is a perfectly normal condition.’ Of interest here, Graham Virgo points to anecdotal evidence that cheese might cause sleepwalking. If such evidence could be substantiated, the somnambulist could potentially escape a special verdict by virtue of the fact that eating cheese would be considered an external cause. Such a consideration is far from easily reconcilable with the aforementioned notions of blame and responsibility as expounded by Hart’s principles of justice. Mackay continues to attack Burgess on a second defining point. She contends that the court failed to properly adopt the definition of ‘disease of the  mind’ as put forward by Lord Denning in Bratty – namely that it is â€Å"any mental disorder which has manifested itself in violence and is prone to recur.† Considering statistical evidence showing that no one had ever appeared before a court twice charged with somnambulistic violence, Mackay remarks ‘something which is prone to recur must be at least ‘inclined to recur or have a tendency to recur or be to some extent likely to recur.’ Despite such protestations, current medical opinion is that sleepwalking is caused by internal factors and may be likely to recur . Therefore it is suitable for M’Naghten insanity as defined. The result of these calculated distinctions between the two defences is that ‘epileptics, sleepwalkers, those suffering from arteriosclerosis and diabetics during a hyperglycaemic episode, may all now be regarded as insane.’ This is surely an unacceptable position. After all, such people appear to fit far more comfortably within the (theoretical) realms of automatism than insanity. They are rational people, capable of recognising rule following situations, who are (largely) the victims of one off incidents of involuntariness. If we are to label a diabetic insane because they neglected to take their medication, are we to do the same with one who gets a migraine from omitting to take aspirin? The difference of cause is the resultant harm and the need for the courts to protect society. Incidentally, close scrutiny of the M’Naghten rules leads us to conclude that where a defendant’s inability to recognise he was doing something wrong was due to something other than a defect of reason caused by a disease of the mind he would generally have no defence at all. Things do not get any clearer when the defence of Diminished Responsibility is brought into the frame. The statutory provision for the defence is found in Section 2(1) of the Homicide Act 1957 and provides that a person shall not be convicted of murder: â€Å"If he was suffering from such abnormality of mind (whether arising from a condition of arrested or retarded development of mind or any inherent causes or induced by disease or injury) as substantially impaired his mental  responsibility for his acts or omissions in doing or being a party to the killing.† The problems begin with semantics and normative questions of degree: what qualifies as ‘abnormality of mind,’ how much is ‘substantially’ and what is ‘mental responsibility’? Even debates on the questions have offered little assistance. For example, the Government, in an attempt to explain the key term, said that ‘abnormality of mind’ referred to conditions ‘bordering on insanity’ while excluding ‘the mere outburst of rage or jealousy’. Such an explanation is obviously of little worth considering that ‘the response of judges and psychiatrists?[to the section]? have ranged from the very generous to the very strict’. In fact the courts it seems, have entertained ‘practically any ground where it was thought morally inappropriate to convict the defendant of murder’. For example, psychopaths, reactive depressives , alcoholics and those in ‘disassociated states’ or suffering from ‘irresistible impulses’ have all been brought within the protective scope of the section. Lord Parker in Byrne, also attempting to clarify the section’s ambit, said that it dealt with ‘partial insanity or being on the border line of insanity’. He went on to add that ‘Inability to exercise will-power to control physical acts? is? sufficient to entitle the accused to the benefit of this section; difficulty in controlling his acts? may be’. Confusions are evident here for, as Smith and Hogan note: ‘A man whose impulse is irresistible bears no moral responsibility for his act, for he has no choice; a man whose impulse is much more difficult to resist than that of an ordinary man bears a diminished degree of moral responsibility for his act’ It would appear then, that the former should be acquitted as insane rather than have his punishment mitigated. However, if the inability to control his acts is not caused by a ‘defect of reason’ or ‘disease of the mind’ then the defendant has no defence in insanity. In this respect therefore, the defence of diminished responsibility appears to be patching up the deficiencies of M’Naghten; acting as ‘a device for circumventing the embarrassments that flow from a mandatory sentence,’ or the stigma attached to a finding of insanity, by allowing judges to â€Å"follow in a common sense way their sense of  fairness.† Greiw, writing in 1988 comments on the section. He suggests that the section is not to be seen as a definitional aid rather it is ‘to be seen as legitimising an expression of the decision-maker’s personal sense of the proper boundaries between murder and manslaughter’. The result of the lax and open wording has allowed the defence of diminished responsibility to be used almost as a catch-all excuse, spanning, and adding to, the defences of insane and non-insane automatism. It has been able to accommodate states of mind and circumstance that would be insufficient for either automatism or insanity whilst at the same time justifying this accommodation by virtue of the increased severity of a murder charge. To some this position is considered entirely unacceptable and contrary to the theories of blame and responsibility discussed hereto. Sparks for example, comments ‘to say that we are less willing to blame?a man if he does something wrong, surely does not mean: we are willing to blame him less, if he does something wrong.’ It would seem however, that due to the inadequacies of M’Naghten and the acceptance that some states of mind falling short of insanity should be considered mitigatory, the courts had little choice but to develop the defence of diminished responsibility in this way. From the issues discussed in this essay it is clear that whilst, in theory, the three defences of Insanity, Automatism and Diminished Responsibility, do indeed exhibit differences, in practice they have become somewhat amalgamated. This is probably due to two factors: First, it must be accepted that ‘there is no sharp dividing line between sanity and insanity, but that the two extremes? shade into one another by imperceptible gradations.’ This proposition leads us to conclude that first, the problem is one of definition. Second, the courts are aware that ‘pleading a blackout is one of the first refuges of a guilty conscience and is a popular excuse’. Therefore, they have tended to view the problem of involuntariness ‘with great circumspection and have adopted a restrictive approach as to when there should be a complete exemption from liability’. In order to balance this definitional problem with the requirement of  certainty, whilst ensuring that only the deserving are completely acquitted, the law has had no alternative but to define distinct parameters. It is these parameters which have both caused the fudging of the two automatism defences and necessitated the creation of a diminished responsibility defe nce. Whilst, in some respects, this amalgamation is unacceptable, its effect has been to provide blanket coverage for those defendants suffering from either a mental disorder, disassociated condition or episode of sudden involuntariness. Far from saying that the law has failed to ‘fully appreciate’ the differences it appears that the courts, due to restrictions, have simply created ad hoc a range of defences whose purpose is to reflect, on a continuum, impeachable notions of culpability. Bibliography. Books 1. Ashworth, Principles of Criminal Law (2nd ed., Oxford, 1995) 2. Clarkson. C.M.V. & Keating. H.M. Criminal Law. Text and Materials. (4th ed., 1998, Sweet & Maxwell) 3. Hart. H.L.A., Punishment and Responsibility, (1968, Oxford) 4. Smith , J.C. B. Hogan., Criminal Law (6th Edition, 1988, London, Butterworths.) 5. Williams. G., Textbook of Criminal Law (2nd ed., Stevens & Sons. 1983) Articles Dell, Diminished Responsibility Reconsidered. [1982] Crim.L.R. 809 Duff. R.A., Trial and Punishments J.L.S.S. 1986, 31(11), 433 Goldstein. A., The insanity Defense (1967) Griew. E., The future of Diminished Responsibility. Crim. L.R. 1988, Feb, 75-87 Laurie. G.T., Automatism and Insanity in the Laws of England and Scotland. Jur. Rev. 1995, 3, 253-265 Mackay. I., The Sleepwalker is Not Insane. M.L.R. 1992, 55(5), 714-720 Padfield. N.,Exploring a quagmire: insanity and automatism. C.L.J. 1989, 48(3), 354-357 Royal Commission on Capital Punishment, Cmnd. 8932 (1949-1953) Smith. J.C., Case and Comment. R. v. Hennessy. (1989) 86(9) L.S.G. 41; (1989) 133 S.J. 263 (CA) Smith. K.J.M. & Wilson. W., Impaired Voluntariness and Criminal Responsibility: Reworking Hart’s Theory of Excuses ? The English Judicial Response. O.J.L.S. 1993, 13(1), 69-98 Sparks. Diminished Responsibility in theory and Practice (1964) 27 M.L.R 9 Virgo. G., Sanitising Insanity ? Sleepwalking and Statutory Reform C.L.J. 1991, 50(3), 386-388 Cases 1. Alphacell [1972] 2 All ER 475 2. Burgess [1991] 2 W.L.R. 106 C.O.A. (Criminal Division) 3. Byrne [1960] 3 All ER 1 4. Cooper v. McKenna [1960] Q.L.R 406 5. Hennessy (1989) 89 Cr.App.R 10, CA 6. Kemp [1956] 3 All ER 249; [1957] 1 Q.B.399 7. M’Naghten’s Case (1843) 10 C & F, 200, 8 Eng. Rep. 718. 8. Quick and Paddison [1973] Q.B. 910 9. Seers [1985] Crim.L.R, 315 10. Sullivan [1984] A.C. 156 (House of Lords) 11. Tandy [1988] Crim.L.R 308 12. Tolson (1889) Legislation 1. Homicide Act. 1957. 2. Trial of Lunatics Act 1883

This essay clearly describes Lady Macbeths Character in the play Macbeth by Shakespeare. It is detailed and it has very good examples.

This essay clearly describes Lady Macbeths Character in the play Macbeth by Shakespeare. It is detailed and it has very good examples. In the play "Macbeth" written by William Shakespeare, Lady Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most famous and frightening female characters. At the beginning of the play, Lady Macbeth is introduced as a dominant, controlling, cold-blooded wife with an obsessive ambition to achieve kingship for her husband. Her personality begins to change drastically as the play progresses; it gradually disintegrates through a false portrayal of unyielding strength, an unsteady control of her husband and shifting involvement with supernatural powers. Her weak, sheltered, unsure and unstable condition is only revealed at the end of the play.Her ambition for achieving kingship for her husband will drive her to do anything. She manipulates her husband with remarkable effectiveness, overriding all his objections, when he hesitates to murder, she repeatedly questions his manhood until he feels that he must commit murder to prove himself. She knows that Macbeth is a strong person, and she must seem stronger t o convince him to go along with her.The sleepwalking Lady MacbethShe now has to wear a "mask" of this determined and cold character, creating more distance between her true self and Macbeth. Lady Macbeth has the persuasiveness capable of humiliating someone into murder, but has no personal capacity to execute "the dead", though she spoke, at times, as if she would take the opportunity whenever it arose. She claims that she can act to "look like the innocent flower/But be the serpent under't" Lady Macbeth imagines that she has the capability to be a remorseless and determined villain, but she isn't anything of that in reality. In fact, at the end of the play Lady Macbeth is so feeble-minded she becomes overwhelmed with guilt. The guilt that has been set upon her by her husband sprung from convincing him to kill. In reality, the final results are only...

Free Essays on Maryjane

Think again. Cigarette companies will have you believing anything just as long as you continue to buy their products. The fact is, although insoluble tars are a contributing factor to the lung cancer danger present in today's cigarettes, the real danger is radioactivity. According to U.S. Surgeon General C. Everette Koop (on national television, 1990) radioactivity, not tar, accounts for at least 90% of all smoking related lung cancer. Tobacco crops grown in the United States are fertilized by law with phosphates rich in radium 226. In addition, many soils have a natural radium 226 content. Radium 226 breaks down into two long lived 'daughter' elements lead 210 and polonium 210. These radioactive particles become airborne, and attach themselves to the fine hairs on tobacco leaves. Studies have shown that lead 210 and polonium 210 deposits accumulate in the bodies of people exposed to cigarette smoke. Data collected in the late 1970's shows that smokers have three times as much of these elements in their lower lungs as non smokers. Smokers also show a greater accumulation of lead 210 and polonium 210 in their skeletons,though no studies have been conducted to link these deposits with bone cancer. Polonium 210 is the only component of cigarette smoke which has produced tumors by itself in inhalation experiments with animals. When a smoker inhales tobacco smoke, the lungs react by forming irritated areas in the bronchi. All smoke produces this effect. However, although these irritated spots are referred to as 'pre-cancerous' lesions, they are a perfectly natural defense system and usually go away with no adverse effects. Insoluble tars in tobacco smoke can slow this healing process by adhering to lesions and causing additional irritation. In addition, tobacco smoke causes the bronchi to constrict for long periods of time, which obstructs the lung's ability to clear itself o... Free Essays on Maryjane Free Essays on Maryjane Think again. Cigarette companies will have you believing anything just as long as you continue to buy their products. The fact is, although insoluble tars are a contributing factor to the lung cancer danger present in today's cigarettes, the real danger is radioactivity. According to U.S. Surgeon General C. Everette Koop (on national television, 1990) radioactivity, not tar, accounts for at least 90% of all smoking related lung cancer. Tobacco crops grown in the United States are fertilized by law with phosphates rich in radium 226. In addition, many soils have a natural radium 226 content. Radium 226 breaks down into two long lived 'daughter' elements lead 210 and polonium 210. These radioactive particles become airborne, and attach themselves to the fine hairs on tobacco leaves. Studies have shown that lead 210 and polonium 210 deposits accumulate in the bodies of people exposed to cigarette smoke. Data collected in the late 1970's shows that smokers have three times as much of these elements in their lower lungs as non smokers. Smokers also show a greater accumulation of lead 210 and polonium 210 in their skeletons,though no studies have been conducted to link these deposits with bone cancer. Polonium 210 is the only component of cigarette smoke which has produced tumors by itself in inhalation experiments with animals. When a smoker inhales tobacco smoke, the lungs react by forming irritated areas in the bronchi. All smoke produces this effect. However, although these irritated spots are referred to as 'pre-cancerous' lesions, they are a perfectly natural defense system and usually go away with no adverse effects. Insoluble tars in tobacco smoke can slow this healing process by adhering to lesions and causing additional irritation. In addition, tobacco smoke causes the bronchi to constrict for long periods of time, which obstructs the lung's ability to clear itself o... Free Essays on Maryjane IS THE ILLEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA VALID? The debate over the legalization of Cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, has been one of the most heated controversies ever to occur in the United States. Its use as a medicine has existed for thousands of years in many countries world wide and is documented as far back as 2700 BC in ancient Chinese writings. When someone says ganja, cannabis, bung, dope, grass, rasta, or weed, they are talking about the same subject: marijuana. Marijuana should be legalized because the government could earn money from taxes on its sale, its value to the medical world outweighs its abuse potential, and because of its importance to the paper and clothing industries. This action should be taken despite efforts made by groups which say marijuana is a harmful drug which will increase crime rates and lead users to other more dangerous substances. The actual story behind the legislature passed against marijuana is quite surprising. According to Jack Herer, author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, the acts bringing about the demise of hemp were part of a large conspiracy involving DuPont, Harry J. Anslinger, commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN), and many other influential industrial leaders such as William Randolph Hearst and Andrew Mellon. Herer notes that the Marijuana Tax Act, which passed in 1937, coincidentally occurred just as the decoricator machine was invented. With this invention, hemp would have been able to take over competing industries almost instantaneously. According to Popular Mechanics, "10,000 acres devoted to hemp will produce as much paper as 40,000 acres of average [forest] pulp land." William Hearst owned enormous timber acreage so his interest in preventing the growth of hemp can be easily explained. Competition from hemp would have easily driven the Hearst paper-manufacturing company out of business and significantly lo...

How to Study for a Philosophy Exam

How to Study for a Philosophy Exam Perhaps youve heard this story: Thirty students are waiting to write a final exam for a philosophy course on the Theory of Knowledge. The professor enters the room, hands out blue books, picks up  a chair, places it on top of a table, and says, You are to write just one essay on this exam. Prove to me that this chair exists. You have two hours. A minute later one student gets up, turns in her answer book and leaves. The rest of the class slave away for two hours, explaining foundationalism, pragmatism, materialism, idealism, and every other ism they think is relevant.  But when the exams are returned, only one essay receives an A- the one turned in early.  The classmates of the student who got the A naturally demand to see her essay.  She shows it them. It consists of two words: What chair? If you have a philosophy final coming up, and youre feeling witty, you could try a strategy like that. But we wouldnt recommend it. Theres a 99.9% probability that in the real world, the two-word essay would have received a big fat F. In the real world, the most important thing to remember is to study for the exam in an active rather than passive way. What does that mean? Passive studying is where you look over your class notes, notes taken from books, old essays. Research has shown that this is not very effective. This may be especially true in philosophy because the abstractness of the material can often make recall difficult. So how can you make your studying active?  Here are four ways. Write Practice Essays, Preferably Timed This is probably the single most valuable exercise you can do. Writing under exam conditions- time limits and no notesforces you to organize what you know, strengthens your ability to recall details (definitions, arguments, objections, etc.), and often prompts original thoughts of your own that you might end up including if you write on the same topic in the exam. Most teachers should  be able and willing to give you sample questions that you can use for this purpose. Read, Keeping Practice Essays in Mind Before writing a practice essay, youll naturally need to prepare by studying the relevant material. But doing this sort of focused, purposeful studying is much better than just scanning many pages of notes and texts and hoping that some of it sticks. Think up Your Own Examples to Illustrate Abstract Points For instance, if youre writing about how utilitarians might be willing to sacrifice individual rights in order to promote the greatest happiness of the greatest number, you might think about a group of peeping toms who are all spying on someone in the shower. Its much easier to remember concrete examples than abstract principles; but once you do, youll probably find it easy to  recall the theoretical point the examples are making. Whoever is reading the essay may also give you credit if you use original illustrative examples: it shows you really understand what you are talking about and not just mindlessly repeating what someone else has said. Practice Making Outlines After youve written a practice essay and you have the material fully in mind, draft an outline for the essay youve just written, perhaps with some improvements. Again, this will help to organize your thinking and should help improve your ability to recall the material during the exam. Bottom Line The  mechanical basics of preparing for any  final are pretty much the same for all subjects: get a  good nights sleep; eat a good breakfast (or lunch) so your brain is fueled; make sure you have a spare pen. Some people also think it helps to sleep with the textbook under your pillow. Experts are skeptical about this strategy but, to date, its ineffectiveness has  never been conclusively proved.

Is War Ethical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Is War Ethical - Essay Example Some people like war. They believe that war can change their lives only to realize that it caused them more harm than they had thought. Those who win always get power over the losers. They also get wealth and resources. They make laws to govern the territory. Many people have been asking themselves very many questions about war. These questions may include: is ethical to go to war? When is the right time to start war? Is it right to revenge against those wrong us? Is it ethical to interfere with other states affairs? Anyone who thinks about war must put in consideration what is right and wrong. Anything happening in war is either considered right or wrong depending on the people affected. Those who are the cause of war take every action to be right because it favors their interests. The other victims take the action to be wrong because it affects them negatively. Therefore, war has both positive and negative effects in the human population. War is a brutal activity but it is still th e centre of human history and the changes in social lives. It is because of war that some countries have changed in their economy and the way of live. During the time of war, life becomes hard for weak population (Coates, 2006). The weak people in the society are always the victims of war. In â€Å"Sirens of Bagdad†, Bedouin family is very poor. They live in a village in the Iraqi desert called Kafr Karam. Bedouin is a young man who is determined to be a more educated man than his father who never went to school. He goes to university of Bagdad but his education is cut short by invasion of Americans in the area. The university is destroyed and later closed making him go back home. Therefore, war kills his ambition of being a good person with a well paying job after the university. His dreams are crushed completely making him see no reason to live. This is how war can affect lives of the innocent people in the society (Khadra, 2007). War is always a very bad thing that can hap pen in the society. It compromises no one including the one who causes it. War abuses the human rights. Many people are killed, displaced from their homes while others lose their properties. This is against the human rights. War is way of governing using force instead of using peaceful measures of resolving policies. Some people in the government use their power to control what should be going on in a certain territory. They do not care how commands are going to affect the lives of people living in that territory. Lives of these people are going to be affected greatly. Bedouin, in â€Å"Sirens of Bagdad†, was affected by war caused by the Americans in Bagdad. It made him lose hope in life. It is because of war that he is forced to drop his education since the university he was studying in closed. War also follows him back to his village. He feels so embarrassed when he sees his father half-naked after being raided by the American soldiers. The way he felt was really touching. He says, â€Å"And beyond it, there was nothing but an infinite void, an interminable void, nothingness.† He says that he is forced to see his father’s genitals. What life is he going through? War has ruined his education and now it follows him home where he sees his weak father pulled around by war soldiers. All these actions changed him into a very angry man ready for vengeance (Khadra, 2007). Sometimes it is right to wage war. This especially is when a country has to protect her citizens from any terrorist attack. Every

Compensation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Compensation - Assignment Example One would suspect that individual performance-based compensation (as opposed to a group performance-based compensation scheme) would have adverse effects on teamwork among employees. However, the study found that that the scheme ran at the company had no adverse effects on teamwork. Performance-based compensation, if well implemented, may lead to increased job satisfaction among the employees of an organization(Ismail, Raffiuddin and Mohamad 83). A study conducted in seventeen GIATMARA centers in Malaysia came to this conclusion. The study was rolled out in two stages. In the first stage, five experienced employees including two supervisors and three support staff were interviewed in depth at the GIATMARA headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. In the second phase of the study, questionnaires were administered to GIATMARA employees. The researchers set out to investigate employee participation in determining their pay and the extent to which the employees perceived their pay as adequate. The study concluded that a well-executed performance-based pay system leads to job satisfaction. A well-implemented performance-based pay system has at least two features: the employees participate in them and consider their pay adequate. Employee participation is achieved by encouraging employees in various job groups to take part in the design and administration of compensation systems. There is some evidence, albeit less compelling, that performance-based compensation could lead to higher employee retention(Dee and Wyckoff 26), presumably because of the job satisfaction that employees derive from these schemes. This was the verdict of a 2013 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research. The study sought to investigate IMPACT, the rather controversial system used by the District of Columbia Public Schools to evaluate and compensate teachers. The system stands out in that it proposes

International Marketing Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

International Marketing Strategy - Essay Example The company whose headquarters are in Switzerland has embraced an international marketing program partly because its local market is too small to address its projections (Nestle.com, 2014). Nevertheless, the program has had associations with different matters. There was a boycott that was started in the 80s against the marketing of the infant formula that is manufactured by the company in the developing countries and has progressed from time to time (Multinationalmonitor.org, 1987). In the present times, the company has had to deal with issues associated with its growth through acquisitions. This paper will evaluate Nestles international marketing strategy with specific emphasis on the strategies it uses in Europe. The present set up of Nestle was established in the early 1900 when a company that has American owners and was based in Switzerland merged its operations with a company of Swiss origins (http://www.nestle.com.eg, 2014). Initially, the American company had been employing canning technology to process milk while the Swiss company had employed technology that had fruitfully marketed infant formula (Wilkins, 2004, p. 27). The company adopted the Swiss name and started a run of acquisitions as well as a global expansion program. The initial expansions, including in to the United States, took place as the First World War progressed (Encyclopedia.com, 1999). Even though the company was largely unaffected by the war particularly because of the neutrality of Switzerland, its main markets as well as sources of milk were heavily affected (Referenceforbusiness.com, 2014). This made the owners of the company to look for diversification so that they could make sure the company could survive this and other shakeups that may be faced in the market. After the war ended, the company continued its global expansion, creating new categories of products through acquisition as

CHANGES Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CHANGES - Assignment Example Often, the contactor is expected to maintain a comprehensive record of costs invested in performing the change so that they can validate its claims (Clough, Sears, & Keoki 136). 3. A constructive change in a contract is the consequence of an action, or absence of an action of the contract owner or its representative that can be interpreted as a change to the contract despite the fact that the owner might not have offered an official, written change order. For example, when the contractor is verbally directed to perform a different duty, in a different way, or in addition to that set by the contact, the owner becomes responsible for any extra time and cost. 4. If a project falls behind schedule, the owner can take a recourse or alternative of ordering the contractor to make up the wasted time without being responsible for additional costs of construction. 5. Differing site condition is   an unforeseen site condition realized after execution of a contract and differs from the conditions outlined in the specifications and plans or differ from those that should be experienced at the site. An example is an underground condition that can be discovered in remodeling a structure that existed before (Clough, Sears, & Keoki 140). 7. The main reasons why contractors should be concerned about owner-caused delay are that they enable him to recover under the change clause for extra cost of work. The contractors can also get a profit in the process. 9. Delay damages are difficult to prove because when the delay damages are hard to measure or are uncertain, it naturally means that it is hard to conclude that a specific damage rate or amount is an irrational projection of what the damages might be. 10. The three essential elements of the Revised Contract Amount in a change order: the modifications to be included change in the contract amount, and the signatures of the prime contractor and the owner. This article tries to put forward that the Changes clause is possibly the

Moral views in the development of English law Essay

Moral views in the development of English law - Essay Example 123), which calls upon a legal community's moral judgment in determining what is aptly, the common good. Moreover, within the context of English Law, this relationship is further emphasised in the role that judges play in the development of precedents embodied within case law. Thus, it is within this context that this essay aims to analyse the significance that moral views have played, if they did, in the development of English Law. As this essay will argue, moral views have played a significant role in the development of English laws, due to the consideration that the legal community has given to the collective standards of morality accepted by the English society in creating legislations, statutes, and EC (European Council) Directives; and the discretion of judges in developing precedents in common law. To prove this point, the essay will begin by presenting the sources of English Law. It will then illustrate the manner that legislations, statutes, and EC Directives are reflective of societal perceptions of morality; and the extent of judges' discretion in case law. Lastly, the essay will illustrate the role morals have played in the development of English law, as well as the effect it has had the law's legal development, before ending with concluding statements. Under English Law, legal development proceeds through a number of instruments such as precedent through courts, legislation through the UK parliament, and as a result of European legislation through directives and decisions of the European Union court adopted by the government. What is apparent among these sources is the degree of discretionary power given both to the individual judges under common law in terms of interpretation, such that disputes can be resolved in a manner that can be either just or unjust; and to the legal community in terms of legislation, which is affected by the individual judgment of each member, as well - both of which will be discussed in following sections. What is imperative as this point, however, is the need to distinguish between morality and moral views, such that while morality refers to some conventional conception of right or wrong; moral views, which is the topic of this essay, refers to the individual standards adhered to by individual judges an d members of the parliament, as well as legislators of Community law. Thus, in order to illustrate that moral views are significant in the development of laws, one must simply illustrate that discretion is evident in the legal development of English Law, regardless if this legal development is moral or not. In this respect, this essay argues that the significance of moral views are evident in the way that English Law can both either be just or unjust, depending on the consensus of legislators' moral views regarding the common good; and the moral judgment of case law judges in interpreting these rules. English Law and the Common Good The Parliament consists of the Crown, the elected House of Common and the Unelected House of Lords. As Sir E. Coke claims, it is "the highest and most honourable and absolute Court of Justice in England,' and its 'jurisdiction' is 'so transcendent' that it can make and repeal laws on any subject matter and its honour and justice cannot be doubted" (cited in Walters 2003). This is also echoed by Austin, claiming that "the sovereign, or supreme legislator, is the author of all law"

CHANGES Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CHANGES - Assignment Example Often, the contactor is expected to maintain a comprehensive record of costs invested in performing the change so that they can validate its claims (Clough, Sears, & Keoki 136). 3. A constructive change in a contract is the consequence of an action, or absence of an action of the contract owner or its representative that can be interpreted as a change to the contract despite the fact that the owner might not have offered an official, written change order. For example, when the contractor is verbally directed to perform a different duty, in a different way, or in addition to that set by the contact, the owner becomes responsible for any extra time and cost. 4. If a project falls behind schedule, the owner can take a recourse or alternative of ordering the contractor to make up the wasted time without being responsible for additional costs of construction. 5. Differing site condition is   an unforeseen site condition realized after execution of a contract and differs from the conditions outlined in the specifications and plans or differ from those that should be experienced at the site. An example is an underground condition that can be discovered in remodeling a structure that existed before (Clough, Sears, & Keoki 140). 7. The main reasons why contractors should be concerned about owner-caused delay are that they enable him to recover under the change clause for extra cost of work. The contractors can also get a profit in the process. 9. Delay damages are difficult to prove because when the delay damages are hard to measure or are uncertain, it naturally means that it is hard to conclude that a specific damage rate or amount is an irrational projection of what the damages might be. 10. The three essential elements of the Revised Contract Amount in a change order: the modifications to be included change in the contract amount, and the signatures of the prime contractor and the owner. This article tries to put forward that the Changes clause is possibly the

American Foreign Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

American Foreign Policy - Essay Example When there is an issue that needs to be discussed in regards to the foreign policy, each facet of the process serves their own agenda before looking at the overall responsibility of the decision. In this regard, it is evident that each of the working unit feels an essential player in the process and seeks to safeguard the interests of the particular arm of the state. This is both beneficial and detrimental to the presidential power and ability to make decisions. For the latter, the best decision is reached at, and a decision that favors all involved departments and thus the state. As for the former case, the solution that is realized is largely as a result of compromised standards, and conflicts amongst the involved officials. There is diversification of interests amongst the parties, some of whom may have undue influence thus negatively affecting the process and wasting more time in the same. Foreign policy bureaucracy suppresses rationalism in decision making. This is again influenced by the influence of a particular department in policy formulation. A good example to this is the reason that compelled the U.S. to attack in Iraq in 2003. Just rationalism was definitely not used in the final decision making process, given the issues that erupted thereafter. This is detrimental to the president’s personal choices but acts or the best of the nation. In foreign policy decision making, the President is the most powerful and central figure. Psychologically, the President is bound by some limitations as time and energy, ideology as well as rationality. With the presence of the foreign policy circle of advisers, the process of decision making is decentralized from the President making life and governance much easier. In this case, the bureaucracy in foreign policy safeguards the president from making decisions constrained by irrationality and psychological inabilities. Bureaucracy in foreign policy is decentralized to four components

Chemistry revision notes Essay Example for Free

Chemistry revision notes Essay The oxidation state or oxidation number, is a value assigned to a chemical species which represents its actual or nominal electrical charge. The oxidation number in a free or uncombined element is zero. This means that, metallic magnesium has an oxidation number of zero, and chlorine in Cl2 form has an oxidation state of zero. For simple ionic compounds, the oxidation state of the single atom ions is simply the charge on the ions. In most compounds the oxidation number for hydrogen is +1 and for oxygen is -2. The exceptions include the hydrides (the oxidation state is -1) and the peroxides (the oxidation state for oxygen is -1). In the compounds, halides usually have the oxidation number -1. The sum of all the oxidation numbers in a compound have to be equal to zero. The sum of all the oxidation states in a complex ion is the same as the charge on the ion. Semiconductors A covalent element such as silicon or germanium which has a higher conductivity than that of a typical non-metal but a much lower conductivity than that of a metal is described as a semiconductor. Semiconductors are also referred to as metalloids and they occur at the division between metals and non-metals in the Periodic Table. Key facts : 1. The electrical conductivity of semiconductors increases with increasing temperature. 2: Doping pure crystals of silicon or germanium with certain other elements produces 2 types of semiconductors: n- type and p-type semiconductors. The addition of small quantities of certain substances to pure silicon greatly enhance its conductivity and makes possible the construction of electronic devices. This controlled addition of impurities is called ‘doping’. 1. doping pure silicon with phosphorus or arsenic (group 5 elements) these elements have 5 valence electrons, a few of the silicon atoms are replaced by P, As atoms 1 electron is left over after the 4 bonds have been formed. The extra electron is free to conduct an electric current and the phosphorus-doped silicon becomes a conductor called n-type. B. doping with boron or aluminium (group 3 elements). By doping with an element having 3 valence electrons some of the silicon atoms are replaced by boron atoms, but because each boron has only 3 electrons, one of the four bonds to each boron atom has only 1 electron in it. We can think of this as a vacancy or hole in the bonding orbital. An electron from a neighbouring atom can move in to occupy this vacancy. As a result of this movement this type of conductor is called p-type. Superconductors 1. Superconductors are a special class of materials that have zero electrical resistance at temperatures near absolute zero. 2. Achieving temperatures near absolute zero is difficult and costly so application of superconduction at these temperatures is impractical. 3. Recently superconductors have been discovered which have zero resistance up to temperatures above the boiling point of liquid nitrogen- temperatures which are less costly to attain. 4. Superconductors may have a future applications in power transmission and electrically powered forms of transport.

Effects of Health Insurance on Small Businesses in the US

Effects of Health Insurance on Small Businesses in the US 1. Problem statement With over half of the American workforce employed by small businesses, these organizations are the backbone of the American economy. Small businesses are the innovators and the main employers in the American work force; they play a vital role in the nations economic recovery. But with the increasing government regulations over health insurance affecting their revenues, small business owners are facing peril in their near future which will affect not only the owners but the work force as a whole. 2. Description: How Small Businesses are being affected by Health Insurance? 2.1. Increased Health Insurance Charges Increased government regulations in terms of health insurance may cause increased financial strain on owners while decreasing their revenues dramatically. Many employers have a difficult time purchasing coverage for their workers because they have fewer employees, so the cost of health insurance per worker is higher than that for a corporation who has a larger employee pool. Insurance costs for small businesses have increased 129 percent since 2000. Small businesses with less than five hundred employees create more than two-thirds of the jobs in the American economy, but an excessive amount of their revenue is going toward inflated health insurance premiums, and not where it should be directed growth and expansion, which would lead to the employment of more individuals(Landrieu, 2009). 2.2. Payments of Small Businesses Employees Small business employees pay an average of 18% more in premiums than those in large firms for the same benefits. Small businesses and their employees are frequently charged more for the same health insurance coverage than large employers and their workers. Due to this the employers of the small businesses have to face greater difficulty in providing the facilities to their employees. 2.3. Health Insurance State Laws In many states, if business owners purchase insurance for themselves they must cover their employees as well. This leaves many sole-proprietors unable to afford the luxury of health insurance. They desire to cover their workers, but unlike bigger corporations and firms, they are unable to deduct the expense on their tax return. 2.4. Higher Administrative Costs The prices that small and large firms paid for health insurance and the value of the products purchased are similar. However, insurers of small health plans have higher administrative expenses than those who insure larger companies. Also, operating expenses are all higher for small health plans too. Small firms received slightly less generous health insurance benefits, according to calculations of actual value. For these reasons, small businesses offer health care coverage to a lower percentage of their work force and are a different type of customer than large firms. 3. Solution Improving access to credit by small businesses is a crucial step in supporting economic recovery and job creation. Since the financial crisis began, small businesses have faced a perfect storm: the pulling back of lending by banks, deterioration in the value of real estate that they often rely on for collateral and weakened sales. The following proposals can help solve our problem to an extent. 3.1. The Proposed Solutions Small business owners can benefit from a new proposal that would allow their workers to be pooled with the employees of other smaller businesses (Anonymous, 2009). The proposed solutions are Allow Insurance To Be Sold to Associations. There are some 16,000 associations in the United States, and six million people are already insured through such organizations as the National Association for the Self-Employed. Association health plans allow small business owners to pool resources, negotiate with insurers and purchase insurance plans for members. However, the existence of 50 sets of state regulations is a barrier to low-cost health insurance. If small firms could buy health insurance with uniform federal regulations, they could enjoy the same lower administrative costs and greater bargaining power as large firms. Let Businesses Purchase Health Insurance from Insurers in Other States. Protection from interstate competition allows politicians to impose expensive mandates and costly regulations. Allowing businesses to purchase coverage across state lines would create more competitive insurance markets. Interstate compe ­tition would give more people access to affordable insurance. Let Businesses Contribute to the Cost of Employee-Owned Insurance. Health insurance in the United States is largely tied to employment because employer contributions for health insurance are tax deductible business expenses and do not count as taxable income for employees. Premiums for employer-paid health benefits avoid all income taxes and the (FICA) payroll tax. By contrast, employees of small businesses without employer-provided health benefits get no tax relief. Small business employers should be able to contribute to the cost of health policies purchased by their employees. Their workers would get portability, but at premiums closer to the cost of group insurance. As a result, insurance coverage would follow people from job to job and workers would not face a disruption in benefits when their employment changes. 3.2. Benefits of the proposed solutions The proposed solutions can help the Small businesses in the following ways The insurance company would then be able to offer them lower rates; more employees would be pooled together, thus lessening the cost per person. Loosening government regulations and offering health insurance relief to sole-proprietors would bring about other benefits. The gained revenue could then be used to train employees properly, incorporate the tools necessary for their work to be completed in a timely and effective manner, and hire qualified, motivated employees with a strong work ethic. Their businesses would then be able to grow, thus decreasing the unemployment rate. This in turn would stimulate the economy and increase the betterment of life not only for the employees in question but for Americans as a whole. As the businesses will grow, this will develop greater struggle amongst the businesses and as a result will help in increasing the Competition. Competitive market always results in betterment. Small business owners and their workers will be focused Small business owners will be passionate about their businesses. Innovative small businesses are prize targets of larger corporations that often find it more cost-effective to acquire than to innovate on their own. By decreasing the pressure on these businesses, they will able to make more innovations. Small businesses know that their livelihood is based on their customers. Small is great for customers. Therefore, by reducing stress of these businesses, they will be able to provide better customer care. This topic has been researched using a number of different sources. For instance, ProQuest provides an abundance of information regarding the nature of the health insurance regulations that are being imposed on sole-proprietors. Two of the cited articles addressed the issue specifically from the sole-proprietors point of view which helps to shed some light on the issue on hand as to how these owners are directly affected by stringent health insurance regulations, what impact it has on both them and their employees and what would be the best course of action to take to make this work for everyone involved (Landrieu, 2009). The other article chosen was written in an objective point of view, stating the struggling nature of sole-proprietors, how they long to provide adequate health insurance for their workers but cannot manage to do so since it is not tax deductible. Some pertinent facts and statistics are also utilized in all of the cited publications in order to explore the effects of this issue and evaluate their implications. These articles do provide some quantitative statistical grounding, based on which some conclusions can be drawn. At the same time, most of the research on hand will be qualitative. In order to curb the limitations inherent to using the qualitative method exclusively, we must utilize the quantitative part as much as these resources allow. While the resources available wont solve the problem once and for all, the closeness of all the writers to both the insurance sector and to the small businesses promises to provide some valuable insight on the issue, from a both qualitative and quantitative approach. 4. Conclusion   People should be able to purchase, with pretax dollars, health plans that are portable from one job to the next, just as group plans do. Employers should be able to help pay the premiums on those individual plans. To avoid costly state mandates, small businesses should be allowed to purchase plans similar to those purchased by large companies that self-insure. If a solution for this problem of health insurance effecting small firms is solved, small businesses could create a national marketplace where insurance companies and care providers compete for individuals on price and quality. References Mary Landrieu. (2009,October9). Health Costs Are Crushing Small Businesses.Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), p.A.17. Retrieved October 21, 2009, from ProQuest National Newspapers Expanded. (Document ID:1875612881). Michael Weiser. (2009,October9). Insurance woes of a small business.Chicago Tribune, p.23. Retrieved October 21, 2009, from ProQuest National Newspapers Expanded. (Document ID:1875818001). NCHC | Facts About Healthcare Health Insurance Costs. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2009, from http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml Small businesses now have a difficult time.(2009,September8). The Washington Post, p.A.9. Retrieved October 21, 2009, from ProQuest National Newspapers Expanded. (Document ID:1854901361), Small Employers Struggle to Offer Health Insurance BusinessWeek. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2009, from http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/oct2009/sb2009106_487565.htm Small Business HealthInsurance Retrieved October 21, 2009, from http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba642 Network services and consulting corporation Retrieved October 21, 2009, from http://www.enetsc.com/doctorebiz.htm

Freudian Analysis of Hamlet Essay -- GCSE English Literature Coursewor

Freudian Analysis of Hamlet As a child, Shakespeare’s Hamlet had experienced the warmest affection for his mother, and this, as is always so, had contained the elements of a disguised erotic quality, still more so in infancy. The presence of two traits in the Queen's character accord with this assumption, namely her markedly sensual nature and her passionate fondness for her son. The former is indicated in too many places in the play to need specific reference, and is generally recognized. The latter is also manifest: Claudius says for instance (79), "The Queen his mother lives almost by his looks". Nevertheless Hamlet appears to have with more or less success weaned himself from her and to have fallen in love with Ophelia. The precise nature of his original feeling for Ophelia is a little obscure. We may assume that at least in part it was composed of a normal love for a prospective bride, though the extravagance of the language used (the passionate need for absolute certainty, etc.) suggests a somewhat morbid frame of mind. There are indications that even here the influence of the old attraction for the mother is still exerting itself. Although some writers, following Goethe, see in ophelia many traits of resemblance to the Queen, perhaps just as striking are the traits contrasting with those of the Queen. [...] Now comes the father's death and the mother's second marriage. The association of the idea of sexuality with his mother, buried since infancy, can no longer be concealed from his consciousness. As Bradley well says: "Her son was forced to see in her action not only an astounding shallowness of feeling, but an eruption of coarse sensuality, 'rank and gross,' speeding post-haste to its horrible delight"... ...d in continuing to "repress" the former he must strive to ignore, to condone, and if possible even forget the latter;his moral fate is bound up with his uncle's for good or ill. In reality his uncle incorporates the deepest and most buried part of his own personality, so that he cannot kill him without also killing himself. This solution, one closely akin to what Freud has shown to be the motive of suicide in melancholia, is actually the one that Hamlet finally adopts. The course of alternate action and inaction that he embarks on, and the provocations he gives to his suspicious uncle, can lead to no other end than to his own ruin and, incidentally, to that of his uncle. Only when he has made the final sacrifice and brought himself to the door of death is he free to fulfil his duty, to avenge his father, and to slay his other self — his uncle.

Assessing the Impact of Using Internet for Competitive Intelligence

Assessing the impact of using Internet for competitive intelligence Here is the summary of an interesting scientific paper dealing with the impact of using the Internet for competitive intelligence. The Internet, as an information-rich resource and interorganizational communication tool, has transformed the way that firms gather, produce and transmit competitive intelligence (CI). The aim of this article is to assess the impact of the Internet on CI and the subsequent effects on the organization. What is CI?It is a process of knowing what the competition is up to and staying one step ahead of it, by gathering information about competitors and ideally, applying this information in short- and long-term strategic planning. It refers to actionable information about the external business environment that could affect a company’s competitive position. CI is not industrial espionage given that 90% of all information that a company needs to make critical decisions and to understand it s market and competitors is already public or can be systematically developed from public data.The growth of the Internet has led to CI professionals exploiting its information richness and hypermedia capabilities for CI activities. By using the Internet, a company can monitor the presence, posture, products, and prices of other players in its industry. It can track the views of customers and seek out new ideas and expertise internationally. Model : they examine the downstream effects of using the Internet (for research, internal and external use) on quality of CI information and its subsequent effects on organizational performance.Concretely, the model could be summarized as followed: Research + Internal Use + External Use Quality of CI information Impact on organization The first three components symbolized the Internet Usage. Results and implications The results of this study indicate that using the Internet has a positive impact on the quality of CI information. There is a posit ive relationship between usage of CI information and organizational performance. It shows that the improved quality of CI information through Internet usage has a positive impact on organization.The results suggest that there is a direct positive link between usage of the Internet (for research, internal or external purpose) and the quality of CI information, and a positive downstream impact on the organizations’ strategic benefits. Although there may be some concerns about the reliability and timeless of information published on the Internet, there is little doubt that it is one of the most cost-effective means of obtaining information. However, data must be transformed into knowledge and order has to be created from the chaos of the Internet.The information overload from the Internet also makes focused research difficult but ‘intelligent agents’ have to be developed to automate and alleviate the CI professional’s information gathering workload. My opinio n: This paper has been written in 2001, which means a very long time ago when we are talking about the Internet and its information storage capabilities. Do you think this paper is no longer suitable for the current situation we are experiencing (empowerment of the customers through social medias, increased access to the Internet, hackers and so on) ?Moreover, they say that the ‘intelligent agents’ have to learn how to scan the information to find the relevant one and that it’s the most cost-effective means of obtaining information, do you think this notion is still true or must be nuanced ? Bron: â€Å"Assessing the impact of using Internet for competitive intelligence† Thompson S. H. Teo & Wing Yee Choo Information & Management 39 (2001) 67-83 http://www. cuaed. unam. mx/puel_cursos/cursos/d_gcfe_m_tres/modulo/modulo_3/m3-4. pdf

Global cities show a particularly high degree of social polarization Essay

Social polarization is a relatively new urban phenomenon that identifies the existence of a widening gap between the rich and poor within a social group or entity. This gap has developed in country’s societies as a result of ‘income equalities, real estate fluctuations and economic displacement’ (Moulaert 2003). The effects can be damaging to society and can include ‘a loss of resources, investment and young people to the core’ (Bradford and Kent 1995). I aim to discuss and explain social polarization in terms of the causes and effects on society, as well as the main catalysts of polarization. Many geographers believe that globalization is a process that ‘has enabled nation-states, TNCs, as well as individuals, to extend their reach across the globe’ (Daniels et al 2008). Globalization has meant that ‘national economies have become integrated into the international economy’ (Croucher 2004) as a result of trade, capital flows, foreign direct investment, migration and the spread of technology; leading to the growth of many sectors, especially the financial sector, where information is easily accessible via a technologically strong communications network. Some are of the belief that ‘Globalization leads directly to social polarization’ (Sassen 1991) The rapid growth in the financial sector has led to the formation of very well paid positions within financial institutes dominated by managers, executives and stockbrokers. However, it has also created large numbers of low-paying jobs, often filled by women and the minorities in unskilled positions. As a result of this, income inequality is common in global cities with salaries ranging greatly. The United Nations quoted that ‘between 1960 and 1990 country differentials between the wealthiest and poorest 20% increased from 30 to more than 60 (UNDP 1993)(Thrift et al 2002). This can lead to a number of problems, with the lower paid workers easily replaced by an abundant supply of workers moving to the area from abroad, known as the ‘urban immigrant population’ (Chao-Lin 2002). The replacement of low-income workers has become a problem in many global cities, for example in Beijing, the open door immigration policy as led to an influx of urban immigrants. Many social problems are caused as a result of this, such as stress at home and at work etc. This, in turn, widens the gap between the richer and poorer people in society; thus increasing social polarization. The ‘transnationals’ have, of course, greatly changed the economic environment. At the global scale their location of production in developing countries has contributed to what has been called a global shift’ (Bradford and Kent 1995). In the first half of the twentieth century the majority of manufacturing and production plants was concentrated in the core: Western Europe and North America. However, a ‘global shift’ (Bradford and Kent 1995) did occur and by the 1980s a third of TNCs had moved to global production in Newly Industrializing Countries (NICs) at the periphery. As these TNCs made more money and became financially stronger, there was a shift of power from the governments to the transnationals’. The TNCs have great control over some sectors of the economy, as government revenue from taxes is recycled (through wages) back into the large corporations. TNCs can cause a variety of problems by locating in developing countries, ‘the concentration of many transnationals’ activities in one area, often the core, may exacerbate inter-regional differences’ (Bradford and Kent 1995). Again, this will cause social polarization as different areas in a country, or town will show differences in amenities etc. due to a greater investment in infrastructure. However, this investment in the core regions is needed to service the large corporations. Investment will attract people, jobs and activity into the core regions, thus emphasizing the strength of the pull factors created by TNCs: more well paid jobs are created, better living conditions, more amenities etc. However, ‘this is often at the expense of peripheral regions which lose resources, investment and young people to the core – the so called backwash or polarization effects’ (Bradford and Kent 1995). Friedmann’s Core Periphery Model is relevant here as over time people are drawn from the periphery areas into the core, (See Figure 1). Transnationals’ can also cause problems if similar corporations locate in the same countries, thus leading to ‘segmentation of markets’ (classifying markets into distinct subsets with the same needs).   (Todd 1977). (Classifying markets into distinct subsets with the same needs). This can lead to social differences being accentuated, again relating back to differences in income inequality and quality of life at the core and periphery. Furthermore, particular cultures in countries have changed as a result of ‘acquisition of material goods’ (Bradford and Kent 1995). This has lead to people’s position in society being determined by possession or consumption of particular goods, causing anger and stress, which causes societies to began more polarized. To conclude; in my opinion social polarization, can only have a negative effect on societies and countries as stress and anger is caused as a result of concentrations of investment in core areas, leaving peripheral areas without amenities and jobs. As TNCs continue to increase in size the effects of polarization can only increase with the gap between different social groups increasing, as a result of income inequality and economic displacement. With increased control and power, soon TNCs will have even more control than some governments, and this can already be seen in some areas of the world with governments in India etc. being unable to stop sweatshop labour e.g. Nike in Bangladesh. Polarization shows gaps in society have begun to develop as local markets develop in global markets as a result of globalization and the growth of large corporations. References Bradford, M. and Kent, A. 1993 Understanding Human Geography: People and their   Ã‚  Ã‚   Changing Environments, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Chao-Lin, G.U. 2001 Social Polarization and Segregation in Beijing, Beijing, Science  Ã‚  Ã‚   Press, http://www.springerlink.com/content/h3w8112rj24l8468/fulltext.pdf, 29th  Ã‚  Ã‚   November Johnston, R.J., Taylor, P.J and Watts, M.J. 1995 The Reconfiguration of Late   Ã‚  Ã‚   Twentieth-Century Capitalism. In Johnston, R.J., Taylor, P.J and Watts, M.J.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (eds) Geographies of Global Change: Remapping the World, Blackwell   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Publishers Ltd., United Kingdom, 19-29. Moulaert, F., Swyndedouw, E. and Rodriguez, A. 2003 The Globalized City:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Economic Restructuring and Social Polarization in European Cities, Oxford   Ã‚   University Press, Oxford. Sassen, S. 2001 The Global City, Princeton University Press, USA Todd, D. 1977 Polarization and the Regional Problem: Manufacturing in Nova Scotia,    The University of Manitoba Geography Department, Canada. Figure 1. Rodrigue, Dr. J. P. Department of Economics and Geography, 1998 Bradshaw, M., Daniels, P., Shaw, D. and Sidway, J. 2008 An Introduction to Human  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Geography, Pearson Education Limited, England.   

Chemical Policy Regulation Essay

The European Commission’s Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) is a new system wherein manufacturers, distributors, and importers are required to sign-in their chemical inventories into a centralized database, along with information on physical and chemical properties, safe handling, hazards, and uses. Substances with carcinogenic, toxic, or mutagenic activity will require permission before being used, and any chemical whose risks are too unmanageable will be banned for use. REACH will thus be an aid in the management of information on chemicals, since it will demand that unknown data on chemicals currently in use be determined for registration purposes, and that new chemicals to be used by industry will now have a standardized procedure for the acquisition and distribution of information and control on their use. In detail, REACH will operate in the manner described in the following sentences. First, parties dealing in chemical products will be required to send a dossier of information on chemicals that they handle that are produced in excess of 1 metric tonne annually. Basic information will be required of chemicals dispensed in the range of 1-10 metric tonnes, while more will be asked of chemicals distributed in larger quantities. As an example of additional data that will be required, substances produced in excess of 10 tonnes annually should have an associated chemical safety report in which the hazard and risk assessment of the substance for specified uses must be outlined and how the risks posed by the chemical can be ‘adequately controlled’ for these uses. One component of the assessment is an â€Å"exposure scenario†, a summary of the use(s) and appropriate risk management measures for the substance studied. All the safety data then submitted for â€Å"substances of very high concern† and chemicals used in bulk will be evaluated by a panel of experts, and any chemical whose use cannot be justified in terms of its risk of use being under control or its socio-economic value outweighing risks considered will be subjected to a phase-out and replacement with safer alternatives, if there are any. REACH in effect is an implementation of the venerable â€Å"precautionary principle†, one statement of which being that the burden of proof of a chemical’s ability to deal severe or irreversible harm should be foisted upon the advocates of the chemical’s use, in the absence of evidence that the chemical is safe for use. To illustrate the importance of the â€Å"precautionary principle†, one only needs to look at dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and the organochlorine pesticides that followed. At the time of their introduction, they were widely accepted and hailed as being much safer than the inorganic pesticides such as the arsenicals that were then the mainstays of pest control. It was only after many years of use that their deleterious effects towards human health and the environment became noticeable. In short, the tenet â€Å"innocent until proven guilty† is not to be applied to chemicals that may require years of use before exerting ill effects, and by then the damage done may already be too difficult or impossible to undo. REACH aims to address issues such as safety, the phasing out of â€Å"substances of concern†, and the encouragement of innovation in industry. In detail, REACH can address health issues because, by its very nature, it will prevent the unnecessary use and needless release into the environment of substances whose risk of use cannot be justified as against the benefits that can be accrued. In this respect, if it can be shown that a substance under scrutiny has no justifiable reason for its continuous use because of the availability of environmentally benign alternatives, its phase out will be implemented as soon as possible. Finally, industry will be spurred, in theory, to research possible replacements for the hazardous chemicals that they currently use due to the pressure exerted by REACH to limit or stop the use of   hazardous chemicals, paving the way for innovations. To facilitate the implementation of REACH, the European Chemicals Agency will be established in Helsinki, Finland. The Agency will serve to coordinate the majority of the work related to chemical regulation and evaluation. Members of the European Union still wield responsibility, however. A large portion of the data gathered through REACH will be publicly accessible. The legislation aims to protect human health and the environment, but the risk of negatively impacting the European economy has been brought up by concerned parties. Efforts to strike a happy medium have been going on for several years. One side has talked about increases in the incidence of cancer and disorders related to the malfunction of the endocrines, while the other side has focused on burgeoning red tape, rises in costs and loss of jobs as businesses move away from Europe. Groups with vested interests in the chemical industry have been accused of lobbying to water down REACH for their benefit. As such, there are groups that say that REACH has loopholes that can enable unscrupulous industries to persist in using â€Å"substances of very high concern† for their convenience. While industry has sought to have REACH’s requirements loosened, European trade unions and environmentalists have joined forces in arguing for strong legislation. It is said that one in three work-related illnesses in the 15 older EU member states is due to chemical exposure. REACH also enjoys the backing of consumer groups and medical associations. A limitation of REACH is that it only applies to chemicals manufactured in or imported into the EU, and therefore is not applicable to chemicals that are incorporated into finished products. So a product like a television, or computer or shampoo made outside the EU could contain chemicals that are not registered under REACH – providing they are not banned under specific safety regulations (such as lead). Polymers (plastics, rubbers, and ilk) are excluded from the auspices of REACH for the time being, but monomers, or the chemicals used to make them, will still be covered by REACH. Pesticides, biocides and   human and veterinary pharmaceuticals are also exempt from REACH, the rationalization being that they are regulated under a different legislation from industrial chemicals. Industrial byproducts and waste are also not covered by REACH, but substances produced from waste or substances used in the processing of waste are covered by REACH. REACH defines what it calls â€Å"substances of very high concern† as substances that belong in any of these categories: substances that are cancer-causing (carcinogenic), mutation-inducing (mutagenic) or interfere with the body’s reproductive function (CMRs); substances that take a long time to break down (persistent), accumulate in the body (bioaccumulative) and are toxic (PBTs); substances that are very persistent and very bioaccumulative (vPvBs); and substances that have serious and irreversible effects on humans and the environment, for instance endocrine disrupting substances. Any new results in light of the effects of a chemical under scrutiny on the environment or human health can influence its retention or phasing out.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As an example of the chemicals that can fall under these previously mentioned classes, the previously mentioned organochlorine pesticides will fall under the PBT category; Alar, a plant growth regulator that was pulled out from the market due to concerns about the mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of one of its breakdown products will fall under CMR, and the chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) which, although nontoxic, tend to persist in the atmosphere to cause damage to the ozone layer will belong to the vPvB category. Note that a chemical only has to satisfy one of the set criteria of a certain category to belong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hazard triggers are an approach where â€Å"substances of high concern† are classified according to the hazards they present when tested in various models. Hazard triggers can be used as an adjunct or substitute for risk assessment since it is usually faster and cheaper to use such. However, extrapolating results of lab tests to what can happen when a chemical is used outside the lab is not always accurate. It has happened in previous times that there were chemicals that exhibited no injurious effects in lab tests and were subsequently shown to be unsafe when used in the field. Conversely, there have also been cases where a chemical that was initially shown to cause serious health problems in animal models was barred from further use even if subsequent tests demonstrated that its use poses no risk to human health. As such, the evaluation of a chemical’s safety based on hazard triggers should proceed on a case-to-case basis, and should be thoroughly scrutinized. Example hazard triggers include persistence (measured in terms of half life in soil or aquatic medium), long-range transport (quantified by the DT50), and ecotoxicity (of which the LC50 is the quantifying parameter). – aims of REACH – controversial issues associated with the legislation – substances of `high concern` – hazard triggers and risk assessment – the implications of REACH for Environmental protection References BBC News (2005) Q&A: REACH Chemicals Legislation [online] accessed at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4437304.stm Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2004) Government Response to the Royal Commission on Environmental pollution Report on Chemicals in Products, Cm6300, HMSO [online] accessed at http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/chemicals/ukpolicy.htm European Commission (2006) REACH in Brief, based on common position of the Council [online] accessed at http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/reach/index_en.htm The Lowell Center for Sustainable Production (nd) REACH – The New EU Chemicals Strategy: A New Approach to Chemicals Management [online] accessed at http://www.chemicalspolicy.org/reach.shtml REACH Compliance (2007) http://www.reach-compliance.eu/english/index.html